He Didn't Have to Be
by totaltvjunkie
Summary: A series of father daughter moments between Luke and Rory. Chapter 7 up.
1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title: He Didn't Have To Be

Rating: G

Summary: A Father Daughter fic between Rory and Luke. Could be a WIP or just this one part.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. Never have, never will. Okay?

AN: This is the second fic I've ever written. I didn't know what Rory's favorite book was, so I picked something I thought a 6-year-old like Rory might read. It's probably way out of character for Luke, but I was trying to show how he's different with Rory than with other people. If you like it, please review.

"Luke! Luke," Lorelai yelled, running into the diner frantic. Rory came in right behind her.

"No, I am not giving you coffee. You've probably had 15 cups today. No more," Luke said in his normal, grumpy tone.

"That's not what I need now, Luke. Wow, sentence I never thought I'd say. But, I have an appointment in Hartford that I need to get to and there's no one to watch Rory at the Inn. Could you please keep an eye on her for 2 hours? Please."

"There's no one? Not Mia or Sookie or any one?"

"I would have asked them. Please, I can't take her with me and I can't leave a 6 year old alone for 2 hours."

"Fine, but I'm warning you. I'm not good with kids."

"Thank you, I owe you big time. I won't drink coffee for the rest of the week, no, the rest of the day."

"Fine, whatever. You're going to be late, go now. She'll be fine."

"Thank you so much. Rory, I have to go now. You're gonna stay with Luke for a little while. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Rory replied as she took a seat at the counter.

"Bye, sweetie," Lorelai said, running out the door.

"So, do you want anything to eat? I can make you a salad or something if you want." Luke said, not knowing really what to do with Rory.

"No, I don't really like salad. But I'll take some cheese fries, please." Rory said in her normally polite tone.

"So, you're going to be here for 2 hours? Do you have anything to do?" Luke said, a little worried, knowing how kids could get when they got bored.

"Oh yeah, I just got a new book from the library that will keep me occupied for a while."

"Really? Which book is it?" Luke said, genuinely curious as to what she could be reading. He knew Rory was smart, but he never had met a six-year-old who liked to read or even really could read.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Mommy and I watch Willy Wonka all the time and I've been meaning to read the book, but I've had so many books to read that I haven't had the chance to read it yet. I've read some of Roald Dahl's other books. I've read Matilda and The Witches and The BFG. He's a really good author." Rory rambled on, excitedly.

"Huh, I don't think I've ever read those books. What's your favorite?"

"There are so many good books to choose from that I don't where to begin. But I really like Little Women. Mommy and I read a chapter every night before bed."

"My mom used to read me a book before she'd tuck me in every night." Luke said, now just enjoying spending some time talking with Rory since there was a lull in the diner and he didn't have to do anything else.

"Really? What was your favorite book?"

"Gosh, she read me a lot of them. I guess The Wizard of Oz. That's the last book I remember her reading to me before…"

"Before what?"

"Before she got sick."

"Oh, I hope she got better." Rory said, not really understanding that Luke's mom was dead.

"Yeah, I hoped so too." Luke said, smiling a sad smile at the memory of his mom and their nightly bedtime story and thinking of her in Heaven.

Rory could tell that Luke was sad and decided she needed to do something to cheer him up.

The diner was starting to pick up again and Luke had to get back to work. He got Rory another plate of fries and let her get to her book. Before he knew it, Lorelai was back to pick Rory up.

"Thanks again, Luke. Really you don't know how much it means to me that you could watch after Rory. I was getting pretty panicked." Lorelai said, as she and Rory were leaving.

"No problem, Lorelai. Anytime. She's a great kid." Luke said, smiling one of the few smiles Lorelai had ever seen him have.

"Okay. Well, bye, we'll probably see you tomorrow." Lorelai said, helping Rory put on her coat.

"Bye, Lorelai. Bye, Rory."

"Bye, Luke. Thanks for the fries." Rory called back at him as she left.

"So, did you have a good time with Luke? He didn't try to give you something healthy, did he?" Lorelai said in the Jeep on their way home.

"He did try to give me a salad, but I asked for fries instead. I did have a good time. We were talking about books and he told me his mom used to read to him at bedtime just like we read at bedtime. But then he got really sad and had to get back to work. Can I get him a present? To cheer him up and to thank him? I know the perfect thing. Please, Mommy!" Rory said, excitedly.

"Of course. We'll go shopping tomorrow, just make sure we're not buying him a new car or anything, because Mommy really doesn't want to get a second job." Lorelai said. She knew from Miss Patty that Luke's mom had died when he was really young. She was shocked that the man who had a secret keeping ability the CIA would envy would tell Rory about his mom.

A few days later, Rory and Lorelai went into the diner for dinner. They sat down at a table near the window and Rory went up to the counter with a gift bag in her hand.

"Hi, Rory. What can I get for you?" Luke said.

"Mom and I want two cheeseburgers, two plates of fries, a coffee, a Coke, and two pieces of pie for dessert, please. And also, I wanted to give this to you," Rory said as she handed him the bag. "I wanted to thank you for everything you do for Mommy and me and to cheer you up, because when we were talking the other day, you got really sad after you mentioned your mom, and I didn't want you to be sad, so I got you this. Well, actually Mommy paid for it, cuz I don't have any money, but I picked it out."

Luke opened the bag and inside was a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He stared at it in disbelief, amazed at how thoughtful and perceptive Rory was.

"Thank you, Rory. Really, you don't know how much it means to me," He said as he walked around the counter to give Rory a rare hug.

"It's no big deal, Luke. Compared to everything you do for Mommy and me," Rory said, hugging him back.

"It is a big deal, Rory. Really, it is. Come on, I'll get your dinner ready, okay?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm starved."

"So, I guess he liked it then?" Lorelai said as Rory sat back down. She was extremely curious to know what it had been that Rory got that not only got a smile out of Luke, but also a hug. She knew it was a book, because Rory made her stop at the bookstore. But Rory insisted that she go in alone to get it and just asked Lorelai for the money and came back out with a bag and the change. She wouldn't let Lorelai in on the secret and it was driving her nuts not knowing what the gift was. "So, you're never going to tell me what is, are you?"

"Nope," Rory said with a smile on her face.

That night, after he closed up the diner and got ready for bed, he took the book out of his bag and got into bed. He turned the lamp on his table on and opened up the front cover. Inside was a message: "Dear Luke, I hope this makes you happy. Love, Rory" He just smiled as he started reading the book that always made him think of his mom, a book he hadn't read since he was nine years old.

AN2: This could be just a one parter, but if people persuade me, I have some other ideas for more chapters. So, if you want more, please review!


	2. The Dance Recital

**Disclaimer: **Unless I happen to get Gilmore Girls for Christmas, I still don't own it.

**Authors Note: **Thanks for the reviews! I had decided that even if I got 1 review, I'd keep going, unless it was a bad review, but fortunately, you guys seemed to like it! So, this chapter is going to be completely out of character for Luke, but I hope you guys like it. In this chapter, Rory is 7.

MariaG- I have a few ideas for the first couple of years. Up until she's 10, I think. Then I have ideas for other years. If you have any ideas, just email me.

ProFfeSseR- I don't know if I'm going to turn it into a JavaJunkie, because I really want to keep it between Rory and Luke, but I do have an idea for a chapter that's a JJ.

Rory walked into the diner wearing a pink tutu, and carrying her ballet shoes. "Hi, Luke," she said. Luke could tell something was wrong, he just wasn't sure what it could be. As far as he knew, Rory liked her dance class at Miss Patty's.

"Hey, Rory. Are you waiting for your mom?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, she's coming over after work in a few minutes," Rory said obviously distracted.

"Okay," Luke said as he went back to the kitchen to get her something. He came back and put a plate of her favorite cheesy fries and a chocolate milkshake in front of her. "You looked upset about something and I thought this might cheer you up," he said, explaining.

"Thanks, Luke!" she said, a little bit happier.

"So, are you liking your dance class? I heard there's going to be a recital in a few weeks. Are you excited?"

"Dance isn't really my thing. I don't want to do the recital so I'm just going to quit." Rory said, a little bit sadder.

Luke was surprised. He never knew Rory to be a quitter and Lorelai said Rory had been dancing all over the house since she started.

"I thought you really liked it. That's what your mom said," Luke said, very confused. "Why don't you want to do the recital?"

"I'm just not very good at ballet. That's all," Rory said, clearly lying.

"But your mom said you were so excited about the recital. What happened?"

"There's this one dance that I can't do and everyone else can, so I just don't want to be there for it."

"Well, if you practice it, I'm sure you'll get it down."

"No, I can do the dance, I just can't do it in the recital."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have anyone to do it with me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a father-daughter dance, and my dad is in California, and can't come back for it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Luke said, feeling bad that he had pushed her into telling him. He knew that Rory's dad wasn't around very often. He'd never even seen the man. But he didn't know how much it affected Rory until now. He'd always figured she loved her mom so much that it didn't bug her all that much, but having a mom you're that close to still can't make up for not having a dad around. After his mom died, he got really close to his dad, but it still didn't make up for his mom not being there.

At that point, Lorelai walked in. "Hey sweetie! How was ballet?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm quitting." Rory said.

"What, but why? You love it." Lorelai asked, just as confused as Luke had been.

"I'm just not that good at it. Can I go over to Lane's for a while? I told her I might be able to come over for a little while?" Rory asked, wanting to avoid telling her mom about the recital.

"Sure, sweetie. But when you get home, we're going to talk about this some more, okay?" Lorelai replied, not wanting to push her daughter into telling her something she didn't want to talk about.

Luke saw Rory leaving and went over to Lorelai's table. "Hey, coffee?"

"Um, sure, of course. Do you know what's wrong with Rory? Did she say anything about why she wanted to quit dance class?" Lorelai wanted to know. She knew that Luke sometimes talked to Rory when she wasn't there yet.

Luke wasn't sure whether or not to tell her. He didn't want Rory to get mad at him, but he thought Lorelai had a right to know. "Yeah, there's this one dance in the recital coming up that she can't do," he said as he sat down.

"That's never stopped her before. She'll just have to practice some more." Lorelai said. Rory wasn't a quitter, and Lorelai wasn't going to let her become one now.

"No, she's not able to do it. She said it's a father-daughter dance."

"Oh my gosh. Poor Rory! Why didn't she just tell me that?"

"She probably didn't want you to feel bad about her dad not being around and just didn't tell you."

"Well, I definitely understand her wanting to quit now. She must be the only girl in the class without a dad around, or even a grandpa to do it."

"Don't let her quit," Luke said, all of a sudden.

"What? Do you know how embarrassing that must be for her? If she doesn't want to go through with it, I don't blame her."

"No, I know how to fix it. Just let me talk to Rory about it. Bring her in for breakfast tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, fine, but I don't know how you can fix it, unless you buy a plane ticket for Chris to get his butt back here and act like a dad for once," Lorelai said, a little bit annoyed with Luke. She didn't know any way to fix this, and Luke couldn't fix Chris not being there.

The next day, Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner. Lorelai went to sit at a table and Rory came up to the counter.

"Mom said that you wanted to talk to me about the recital," Rory said. Her mom had told her the night before that she wasn't going to let Rory quit, even after Rory told her about the father-daughter dance. She didn't get it. Her mom didn't want her to be embarrassed. Did she?

"Yeah. Would you still be willing to do it if you had a partner? Even if he isn't your dad?" Luke said, coming around to sit next to her.

"Like who?" Rory asked, extremely confused.

"Um, well, if you really want to do it, I'll be your partner for it. I know it's not the same as your dad being there, but if you still want to do the recital, you should be able to."

"Really? You'd do that?" Rory said, getting excited. "You'd have to wear a suit and waltz and spin me around."

"I think I can handle that," Luke said, smiling.

"That'd be great. Thank you, Luke!" she said, with a huge smile on her face and gave Luke a big hug.

She ran back over to where her mom was sitting. "Guess what, Mom? Luke said that he'd do the father-daughter dance with me. I can still do the recital!"

Lorelai was shocked. She hadn't even thought of Luke volunteering to do it. He was the grumpy diner man. He didn't waltz with seven-year-olds. "Wow, sweetie! That's great! I'm just going to talk to Luke for a second, okay?"

She walked up to the counter and waited for Luke to be done with his customer. "Luke! You're going to dance with Rory?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you. I mean, I know I'm not her dad or anything, but she was so sad about not being able to do it, and I just didn't want her to give up something she liked, because of this. I just couldn't stand to see her so upset." Luke said. He was worried Lorelai would be mad. He probably should have talked to her about this first. He didn't want her to think he was trying to replace Rory's dad.

Lorelai was just standing there shocked. Luke was starting to get a little worried. "Look, if you don't want me to do it, I won't. But I couldn't think of anything else to fix it, and she was so upset—" Luke was stopped when all of a sudden Lorelai was hugging him.

"Thank you, Luke." She said stepping back. "This is so nice of you. You don't have to do this, you know? But you want to. You don't know how much it means to Rory, and to me."

"It's not that big a deal. I mean, I get up, twirl her around a few times. It's not that hard." Luke said, relieved that Lorelai wasn't upset.

"It is a big deal. To me and especially to Rory."

Three weeks later, all of Stars Hollow came to see Miss Patty's Ballet School Dance Recital. Nobody knew that Luke was going to dance with Rory, except Rory and Lorelai. So, when the time for the father-daughter dance came, everyone was shocked when out walked Rory Gilmore and Luke Danes with all the other girls and their fathers.

Rory was wearing a pink dress and her hair up in a bun, and Luke was wearing his only suit. As they were dancing, the two of them had the biggest smiles on their face of everyone up there. As soon as the song ended and the curtain closed, Rory stopped and gave Luke a huge hug.

"Thank you, Luke. I love you," Rory said, still hugging Luke.

"I love you, too, Rory," Luke said, hugging her back.

**Authors Note 2: **So, I know Luke probably wouldn't voluntarily get up in front of the town and dance, but he might for Rory. This was originally going to be the first chapter, but then I changed my mind and put the other one before it. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. It all depends on how much homework I have this week, and I have finals in three weeks, so I need to start studying for those. I'll try to have another chapter up by Wednesday, but it may not be until next Saturday or Sunday. If I happen to get some more reviews, that would motivate to post chapters faster:) (hint hint) Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!


	3. Happy Birthday, Rory

**Disclaimer: **Why am I still bothering with this? I'm 14, I don't even own my own TV. My parents bought it. So I sure as heck don't own a TV show.

**Authors Note: **I've had this written for about 2 days now, but because my teachers insist on giving me homework, I haven't had the chance to post it. I'm sorry. I know I only posted the second chapter 2 or 3 days ago, but the past two days have been really long, and it feels like a year ago. Thank you so much for the reviews! The perfect cure for Mondayitis is reviews! Anyway, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 3- Happy Birthday, Rory

It was the last week of October and Rory's birthday was in 3 days. The day Rory and Lorelai happened to be moving into their new house, their first house. Lorelai was on cloud nine, but Rory wasn't as excited. She seemed almost sad. Luke could tell something was wrong and he wanted to do something for Rory for her birthday, but he couldn't think of something to do. Rory liked to read and she had lots of books, so he'd build some bookshelves for her new room. He'd build a desk for her her too. She'd be starting middle school in a few years and it could come in handy. When Lorelai came into the diner later, he'd be sure it was all right with her.

About two hours later, Rory and Lorelai came in for lunch

"Hey, Luke! Coffee please," Lorelai said. "And a hot chocolate for Rory."

"Why can't I have coffee, Mom?" Rory asked. "You said I could when I'm eight."

"But you're not eight for three more days," Lorelai said, jokingly.

"Fine, whatever! I'm not hungry. Can I go to Lane's?" Rory said.

"Okay, sweetie. Just be back before nine," Lorelai said, trying to be careful not to make Rory mad again.

Rory left and Luke came over to bring Lorelai's coffee.

"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. She asked if she could have some coffee and I said not until her birthday, and she got mad. I don't know what's going on. Normally, she's excited about her birthday, but this year, she doesn't even want a party. I figured she'd want to have a sleepover in her new room, but she said no," Lorelai said, frustrated.

"Maybe she's upset about the move. She's leaving the only home she's ever really known."

"Omigosh, I didn't even think about that. Gah! I've been so excited and I didn't even think about how Rory would feel."

"It's okay. One of your dreams is coming true. You have the right to be a little oblivious to other things."

"I should've been more sympathetic. I need to do something big for her birthday, and I need to do something to make her feel more at home in the new house."

"I have an idea for her birthday to help you out with the second thing," Luke said as he sat down across from Lorelai.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Would it be okay if I built some bookshelves and a desk for Rory's room?"

"Are you kidding? That would be great!"

"Good. Is there any way I could get some measurements of her room?"

"Yeah, I have the keys. I can let you in now if you have some time."

"Okay. Let me just tell Cesar to take care of everything for a few minutes."

A few minutes later, Luke and Lorelai arrived at the new house. Luke went in and got the measurements he needed and that night, he got to work on building the desk and shelves. He worked whenever he could for those three days, and miraculously got done on the morning of Rory's birthday. He got Miss Patty to go let Lorelai know so she could get Rory out of the house and he could take the furniture over. It took him a little over half an hour to get everything installed and he had a couple other things to do before they came back. Luke finished with everything and he went back to the diner.

Rory and Lorelai got back about 20 minutes after Luke left.

"Rory, why don't you go into your room? I think Luke brought over your birthday presents!" Lorelai said, excitedly. She couldn't wait to see what Luke had built, but she wanted Rory to see it first.

Rory walked into her room, which had previously been empty except for a few boxes. However, she now had shelves on the wall with some new books on them, and a brand new desk. She was shocked. The shelves were a very dark brown, with a vine painted on the side and little rosebuds in the corner. The desk was made with the same wood as the bookshelves and the legs had roses carved into them and a beautiful roll-top cover. On her bookshelves, there were copies of The Secret of the Old Clock, Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. They weren't brand new books, they were pretty worn and looked as if they'd been read a few times. On her desk, there was an envelope with a card inside from Luke. Inside, he wrote,

_Dear Rory,_

_I know it's hard leaving a home that you've always known, but you're going to have so many great new memories in your new house. The books are something I found in a box of stuff from when I was a kid. They belonged to my sister, but I don't think she'd mind giving them to you. I figured the desk would help you out in the years to come. Have a great birthday and remember that you have tons of people that love you. Love, Luke_


	4. Christmas Report

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though with any luck, in 4 days, I will be the proud owner of the first season DVDs!

Authors Note: I know it's been like 3 weeks since I updated. But I had finals and Scholar Bowl tournaments and piano and guitar and I know it's been too long. But I'm on Christmas break now until January 4th! Woohoo! So, I'll update probably twice next week and hopefully, by Christmas. If I get reviews, I'll be motivated a lot more!

"Over Christmas break, your assignment is to interview someone you admire and write a report about why you admire them and tell about their life. Since you are interviewing them, you must know the person. And I don't want you to interview someone you're related to. These will be due as soon as you come back from break. Merry Christmas," Mrs. Stevens said as the bell rang to end the school day.

It's not that Rory minded having homework over the break, because she didn't. It's just she didn't know who to interview. She most admires her mom, but she can't interview someone she's related to, so that eliminates her. Who else is there? Sookie, Mia, Luke. Luke! Luke's always been there and she respects him. She'd interview him and she'd get to learn more about his childhood. Maybe this assignment wouldn't be that bad after all, Rory thought as she walked into the Independence Inn.

"Hey, hun! How was your day? Glad you don't have to go back for 2 weeks?" Lorelai asked.

"It was fine. And yeah, I'm looking forward to sleeping in for a while tomorrow morning."

"Do you have any homework?"

"I have to interview the person I most admire and write a report."

"Interesting. Who're you going to interview? Your fantastic mother, I hope."

"I can't. It has to be someone I'm not realated to. You know you were my first choice, but I can't."

"Hey, as long as I was first choice. So, who are you going to interview?"

"I think Luke. I respect him and it'd be pretty interesting to learn more about him."

"Luke, huh? Well, let's go to the diner for dinner and you can ask him about it, okay?"

"Hey Luke!" Rory said as she walked into the diner. "Can I interview you for my homework, please? I have to interview a person I admire and write about their life."

"And you picked me? I would have thought you'd pick your mom." Luke said.

"I would, but I can't be related to the person. So, can I interview you? Please!"

"Sure, when do you want to do it?"

"When do you have time?"

"How about I close the diner a little early tonight and you and your mom can stay."

"Okay! Is that okay, Mom?"

"Sure, but if it's okay with Luke, I think I'll just leave you here so I can get some last minute wrapping done." Lorelai said. "Would you mind that?" she said to Luke.

"Of course not. It's no problem."

As soon as all the customers, except Lorelai and Rory, had left, Luke switched the sign to closed and came and sat across from Rory at her table.

"Okay, so I just have a few questions to ask you about your life and what is was like when you were my age." Rory said.

"Well, I haven't had a really exciting life, so sorry if it's a little bit boring."

"It won't be boring. So, what is your favorite Christmas memory?"

"I must have been about six, I guess. And I really wanted a new bike. It was all I had been asking for. I wouldn't shut up about it. It was all I could think about. So, on Christmas Eve, when I heard my dad putting the rest of the presents under the tree, I got up and looked out of my room at the tree. I saw all these presents, but I didn't see a bike. I was so upset. When morning came, I didn't want to go out and open presents, because I knew what I wanted most wouldn't be there. I went out and opened my presents and then my dad said they had one last present and brought in my new bike. I spent the rest of the day outside riding my bike, even though it was freezing."

"Cool. What sort of things did you do when you were my age?"

"Nine wasn't really a good year for me. I don't really remember much about that year, except that's when my mom died."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"Um, what sort of things did you do in high school?"

"Mainly, I worked in my dad's hardware store and tried to keep my sister out of trouble. I ran track, though. That was about it."

"Really? Were you any good?"

"I was okay. I made all-state a couple of times and I got an athletic scholarship to college at Southern Connecticut State."

"Wow! So, why did you open a diner?"

"When my dad died, he left me his hardware store and I didn't really care much about hardware, but I definitely didn't want to sell the place. Too many memories here. I was pretty good at cooking, so I thought it'd be fun to open a diner."

"Okay. That's all the questions I have, so I guess that's it. Thank you, Luke!"

"No problem. Come on, I'll walk you home."

The next day, Rory wrote her report. It was a lot easier than she had originally thought it would be. She wrote it out twice, and put one of the copies in an envelope and put a bow on it. She asked Lorelai to take the envelope over to the diner on her lunch break and give it to Luke.

That night, after the diner had closed, Luke went upstairs and opened the envelope. Inside was a note from Rory: _Dear Luke, I thought you might want to read my report. Merry Christmas! Love, Rory_

The Person I Admire Most 

_By Rory Gilmore_

_Luke Danes owns one of the most successful businesses in Stars Hollow. He turned his dad's hardware store into a diner when his dad died and since then it's been great. He makes the best coffee in town and everyone loves him. He ran track in high school and even got a scholarship to college for it. His mom died when he was very young and people have said that it made him grow up faster than he should have. He said his favorite Christmas memory is getting a bike when he was six. _

_Why do I admire Luke? He's always been there for my mom and me. He fixes stuff around our house and tries to get us to eat healthy, even though it doesn't work. When our heater broke at two in the morning and we were freezing, Luke came over and fixed it. It's not just that he does stuff for us. Most people think Luke's always grumpy, and he can be at times, but when you really get to know him he'd do anything for you. _

_The assignment was to interview someone we admire who we're not related to. For the most part, I stuck to that. I may not be related to Luke, but he's family._

AN2: So, there's another chapter. I have an idea for the next chapter, but after that who knows? If anyone has any ideas, please let me know! If I get some reviews, I may be able to come up with new ideas though! Merry Christmas, yall!


	5. New Year's Eve

Disclaimer: Santa was very good to me this year. I got the first two seasons of Gilmore Girls on DVD. However, the rights to the show and its characters were not included. But my birthday is in two months, so there's still hope!

Summary: If you're on the fifth chapter of a fic, shouldn't you know what it's about? No? Okay, it's a series of father-daughter moments between Rory and Luke.

AN: So, thank you for the reviews! You are all so nice! Here's the latest chapter. I know New Year's has already happened, but oh well. And there is a little bit of Java Junkieness in this chapter. So, here you go!

Chapter 5

"So, what movies are we getting for New Year's Eve," Rory asked her mom as they waited for Luke to bring them their breakfast. "And Lane can still come, right?"

"Of course Lane can come. She's your best friend. And I was thinking, how about a Hitchcock marathon? Get Psycho, The Birds, maybe even go completely old school and get Strangers on a Train and Rear Window. What do you think? Ring in 1995 scared out of our wits."

"Great! Hey, is Sookie still coming over?"

"No, Sookie's going to spend New Year's Eve with Michael, her new boyfriend."

"Do you think Luke has any plans? Because he can't be alone on New Year's, that's just not right. Can you ask him if he can come over, please?" Rory said.

"Luke? Really? Um, I'll ask him if he's doing anything."

Later, after Rory had gone over to Lane's house, Lorelai went up to the counter.

"Hey, Luke." Lorelai said. "What are you doing for New Year's Eve?"

"Nothing. It's a ridiculous holiday. Big deal, it'll go from December 31 to January 1. It's done it for years. Who really cares?"

"How can you think that? It's a chance to start anew. Make resolutions…"

"That no one keeps. Why'd you want to know?"

"Well, Rory, Lane, and I are having a movie night. Hitchcock movies all night. Why don't you come? It'll be fun."

"Um, okay. What time?"

"Is 6 too early?"

"Nah, the diner's pretty much dead after that, so I can just close early and come over after that."

"Okay, see ya then."

"Mom! Luke's here," Rory yelled as she ran to get the door. "Hi Luke! What's in the bags?"

"Hey Rory. Well, I figured that if I was going to come over, I better bring food or else you two might turn on me. But I didn't know you'd have enough food for the two of you, Lane, and everyone else in the Western Hemisphere. My God, do you have enough?"

"That's right. You've never been to a Gilmore movie night and it's a special occasion, so that equals slightly more food than normal." Rory said, excitedly. "Lane's here!"Rory yelled, running to the door again.

"Hey Luke." Lorelai said, as she came into the living room.

"How much sugar and or caffeine has Rory had today? I've never seen her that hyper before," Luke said, slightly amused.

"Yeah, she's had about four Mountain Dews and a lot of candy. She figured if she gets completely wired then she'll definitely be awake at midnight. She's never been able to stay up that late. She's always fallen asleep around 11:30. Hopefully, she doesn't go into the sugar coma until after midnight, or she will be very disappointed."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't her to be disappointed. So, I brought some burgers for the three of you, a salad for me, and some cherry pie for later."

"You are the best! Okay, let's try to find a spot for that on the coffee table. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but we may have gotten a bit too much food."

"No! Too much food for the Gilmores! I didn't think there was enough food on Earth for that."

"Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking?"

"Mom, what movie are we going to watch first?" Rory asked as she and Lane came back into the living room.

"Well, we have to save Psycho for last. So, The Birds, Strangers on a Train, or Rear Window?" Lorelai said.

"Can we watch Rear Window first? It's the least scary." Rory said.

"Any objections? Okay, Rear Window it is." Lorelai said. "Do we have all the snacks we need, cuz we can't get up in the middle of the movie to get food?"

"Well, we have all the chocolate stuff, Red Vines, the stuff for Smores, cookie cake, the food that Luke brought, I think we have it all. Oh Luke! Since you don't eat junk food, we got healthy snacks for you too!" Rory said, excitedly.

"Thank you. Okay, so what exactly is Rear Window?" Luke asked.

"You've never seen Rear Window?" Lorelai and Rory said at the exact same time. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't see a lot of movies."

"But Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Raymond Burr. Plus Alfred Hitchcock directing, how have you never seen it?"

"I just haven't. Just get the movie started already. Geez, the look on your faces you'd think I'd said I killed someone."

Shortly before midnight, The Birds ended and Lorelai got up to put in Psycho, when she looked down and saw that both Rory and Lane were asleep.

"Hey Luke, the sugar coma hit. Oh well, next year, she should be able to make it to midnight. She's gonna be mad tomorrow." Lorelai said.

"Aw, that sucks. If she's upset tomorrow, come by for breakfast and I'll make her some of those chocolate chip pancakes she loves so much."

"Okay, we'll do that. Hey, it's only a couple minutes until 1995 begins. Do you want a beer or something?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Here, let's go in the kitchen. They're pretty much dead to the world, but still."

"So, thanks for inviting me over. I'm sure Rory and Lane just wanted to have a girl's night." Luke said as Lorelai handed him a beer.

"What are you talking about? Didn't I tell you it was Rory's idea for you to come over?"

"No, you didn't."

"Yeah, she said there's no way someone should have to be alone on New Year's and she wanted to be sure you spent it with someone who cares for you, so she asked me to invite you. You realize that Rory adores you, don't you?"

"She doesn't adore me." Luke said, getting a little embarrassed.

"Yes she does. And I can see why. You're great with her. You're really the only constant guy in her life. Her dad's out in California and never comes to visit. Don't even get me started on either of her grandfathers, but you're always there for her. She really appreciates it and I do too."

"Well, the feeling's pretty mutual. It's not hard to be there for her, cuz you've done such a great job with her. She's an amazing kid, Lorelai, and she's incredibly lucky to have a mom like you." Luke said, turning to look at Lorelai.

Luke and Lorelai just stood looking at each other for a moment.

"Hey, it's midnight. Happy New Year, Luke." Lorelai said, giving Luke a hug.

"Happy New Year, Lorelai," Luke said, hugging her back. "Well, I probably better get home. But I'll see you guys tomorrow for breakfast, right?"

"Of course. Bye Luke."

As Luke went back into the living room to get his coat, he stopped and knelt down next to Rory, who was sound asleep.

"Happy New Year, Rory. I love ya, kid," Luke said and gave Rory a kiss on the forehead.

AN 2: I had to throw in a little about Hitchcock. He is one of my heroes. I also had to do that, cuz I don't know what movies were out in 1995 that they would watch. In 1995, unless it was Disney, I knew nothing about it, seeing as I was 5 at the time. My movie obsession didn't start until I was about 8. So, I know there wasn't a whole lot of Rory Luke interaction, but I wanted to add a little bit more JJness, but the next chapter will be Luke and Rory. I promise. I'll try to get it up tomorrow, but who knows? So, hope you all had a happy New Year! So, please review! And I go back to school on Tuesday, so the updates won't be as often, but with any luck, I'll have time to write in class. Except now I'll have one less class that I'd be able to write in, unless my PE teacher is cool and lets me write, but everybody says she's mean and gah, I hate PE! So, now that I'm through babbling, please review!


	6. A Night Alone

Disclaimer: Seriously, if I owned it, Chris would be dead.

Authors Note: I know, it's been forever. School's been evil and I've had a lot of trouble getting this chapter written. I can't really think of any more ideas for Rory as a little kid. So, I'm leaping forward a couple years. She'll be twelve in this chapter, and to make up for the lack of updates, I'm going to post another story that I've been thinking about writing. I really am sorry for not updating, but unfortunately, the updates will probably be few and far between until school is out. I'll try to update every other week, but for some reason, teachers tend to want me to do homework instead of write new chapters. Yeah, I don't get it either. So, after this ridiculously long author's note, here's your new chapter.

Chapter 6

"Hey sweetie." Lorelai said as Rory walked into the Independence Inn after school one day. "Could you possibly ask Lane if you can spend the night at her house Saturday night?"

"Lane's grounded until next Saturday. Her mom found a Snickers wrapper in her backpack. Why?"

"I was going to try to go out with a friend for a few hours. But it's no big deal."

"What friend? Sookie?"

"No. I don't think you know this friend."

"Well, if it's only going to be a few hours, I could stay home by myself. I'll keep all the doors locked, won't open the door to strangers, and I won't go anywhere." Rory said, with hope in her eyes. She'd been dying to have the house to herself for a night. Most of the other kids at school got the opportunity to stay home alone and Rory wanted to see what it would be like.

"I don't know babe. It's a Saturday night. I don't know if I like the idea of you being home alone at night. It could be dangerous."

"Mom, it's Stars Hollow. The last time anyone called the cops, Babette thought someone stole her lawn gnome, but Cinnamon had just knocked it over. We know everyone in town. Please Mom. I'll just order some food and watch a movie. Please."

"Okay. I'll just be gone for a few hours. I'll be back by midnight at the latest. I'll leave you some money if you want to go to Luke's. That's the only reason I want you out of the house. I'll talk to Babette and see if she'll check in on you occasionally. If you go to Luke's, I want you to tell her. I'll probably call a couple of times to check in on you, and if you don't answer, I'll call Babette, and she better know where you are. Got it?"

"Deal. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Okay, Rory. I'm leaving. Luke's money is next to the phone. If you go, tell Babette. I'll be back by midnight. Be good. No parties. I'll call to check in. Bye. Love ya." Lorelai said as she was walking out the door.

"Bye Mom. Have fun." Rory said, half listening to her mom while she watched Sixteen Candles for the gazillionth time.

At about eight o'clock, after Rory had watched Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club, she walked over to Babette's to tell her that she'd be at Luke's in case her mom called.

"Hey Luke." Rory said as she walked in the diner, which was completely empty, except for Luke wiping off the counter, yet again. "Were you closing? I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so late. I got into the movies I was watching, but then I got really hungry, so I just walked over here. But I'll just go. I think there's some Pop Tarts or something I can eat."

"Rory, wait. I was closing, but it's no big deal. I'll make you something to eat. What do you want?"

"Cheeseburger, fries, and Sprite, please."

"No problem. So, what are you up to tonight?"

"I was just watching some movies. My mom went out for the night, so I got the house to myself."

"Your mom left you home alone. You're twelve years old, it's dark outside, what was she thinking?" Luke said, starting to go into a rant.

"She was thinking that Babette would check in on me, it's Stars Hollow, and I begged her to go. She never gets to go out with other adults and it's not fair. She's only twenty-eight. She shouldn't have to just sit at home while everybody else her age goes out and has fun. It's just not right."

"She should have at least had you stay at Lane's house or something."

"Lane's grounded until next week."

"What food was it this time?"

"Snickers. She really needs to remember to take the wrappers out of her backpack. She's a pro at hiding her CDs. I don't know why she can't get the candy hiding down."

"Oh, she will. She's definitely getting good at being a con artist."

"Yeah. I would hate to have to hide stuff my mom. I never understood kids who didn't trust their parents, and I don't think I ever will."

"Well, you lucked out. You got a great mom. And she got a great kid."

"What about you? I mean, I know your mom died when you were really young."

"My mom was the greatest woman I've ever known. She never lost her temper with my sister and me. She had the most patience I've ever seen. She never raised her voice, even when I drew a mural for her on the living room wall with fingerpaint. She always had a smile on her face, even when she knew she was dying."

"She sounds great. I wish I could have met her."

"She would have loved you and your mom. She used to run the nursery at the church and all the kids would tell me that I had the best mom on earth, and I couldn't argue with them. At her funeral, I remember looking around and seeing all these kids, and half of them I'd never even met. They were all just bawling their eyes out. I don't think I realized until then how many people loved my mom."

"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost my mom. I don't even know who would take me. She's really all I have. I mean, we see my grandparents on holidays, but my dad lives out in California, and he tries to call now and then, but doesn't very often."

"Have you ever even seen your dad?"

"He moved to California when I was two, and before that, he wasn't around a lot. I haven't seen him since he moved. I've seen pictures of him from when he was in high school, but I'm sure he's changed since then."

"My dad started to fall apart after my mom died. He spent all of his time at work and I would work here occasionally. He didn't talk much, but we understood each other. My sister moved away the minute she turned eightteen, and when my dad got sick, he really depended on me. When he died, I wanted more than anything to sell this place and move away. But I couldn't. I knew he'd want me to stay here and keep the place open for him. Plus, there were too many memories here, and I didn't want Taylor to buy it and ruin it."

"Yeah, I don't even know what my dad does. Last I heard he was working at a mall in LA. But that was a few years ago. He doesn't normally keep a job for very long."

"So, where's your mom tonight?"

"She's out with a friend. She thinks I don't realize she's on a date. It's not like I really care. She deserves to go out with guys."

"Huh, a date. Um yeah, do you know who it is?" Luke asked, obviously uncomfortable talking about Lorelai on a date and Rory could even see a little bit of hurt in his eyes.

"No, I don't know who. Mom tries to keep her dating life pretty secretive. Normally, she gets me to go to Lane's and tells me she just wants some alone time for a while, but I know she goes out on dates. I don't think a guy has ever been around for than one date, but oh well. I know it'd be a lot easier for Mom to have a boyfriend if she didn't have me."

"Rory, I know your mom doesn't regret for one moment having you. She loves you more than anything in the world. You can see it in her eyes when she talks about you. And if a guy doesn't want to date your mom because of you, he definitely doesn't know what he's missing out on. I mean, getting to know you."

"I know what you meant. Thanks. Sometimes I wish Mom would date you. You're just the kind of guy she needs. Plus, I know you really care for her."

"Well, your mom's my best friend. Of course I care for her. But I don't think we'll ever date."

As Luke said that, Rory could see that Luke obviously wanted to date her mom. If only Lorelai could see that, everything would be perfect.

"Wow, it's really late. I probably need to go home. Thanks for dinner, Luke. I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Hey, it's dark. I'll walk you home."

"Thanks. What were you going to do tonight before I ruined all your plans? Sorry I stayed so long."

"Rory, you have nothing to apologize for. I was probably going to go upstairs, watch a baseball game, and go to bed early. Having you as company was much more fun."

"Do you want to come in and watch a movie? It's really lonely being home alone and I'm a little scared."

"Sure. What movie?"

"Have you ever seen Willy Wonka?"

"Not since I was about your age."

"Do you wanna watch it?"

"Sounds like fun."

Rory fell asleep shortly after Charlie had gotten his golden ticket. About halfway through, the phone rang. Rory started to stir a little, but just rolled over, so Luke answered the phone before she could wake up.

"Hello?" Luke whispered, trying to be quiet.

"Hello. Who the hell is this? Because unless Rory is now a grown man, this isn't my daughter. What are you doing in my house when she's supposed to be home alone?" Lorelai yelled, frantically.

"Lorelai, calm down. It's Luke."

"Luke? What are you doing at my house? What's wrong? Is Rory all right?"

"Slow down. Rory came to the diner for dinner. I walked her home, and she asked me to stay and watch a movie for a while, because she was a little scared."

"Oh. I knew I shouldn't have left. She's too young to stay home alone at night."

"She's twelve. She's just not used to it yet. Don't worry."

"Okay, well thanks. Can I talk to Rory?"

"She fell asleep about an hour ago and she's pretty much out like a light."

"Oh well. Can you possibly stay there until I get home? I'll be home in about twenty minutes."

"What time is it?"

"About nine-thirty."

"I thought you weren't getting home until midnight."

"Well, plans change."

"Sure, the movie's almost over and I wanted to see the end of it anyway."

Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Luke heard Lorelai pull into the driveway.

"Hey Luke. Thanks for staying with her."

"No problem. So, how was your date?"

"How did you know I was on a date? Rory didn't even know."

"Rory knew. She told me."

"Well, seeing as I'm home two hours early, it obviously didn't go very well."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

"I told him I had a twelve year old daughter and he couldn't get out of the restaurant fast enough."

"Well, he's an idiot. Rory's the greatest kid on the planet and you're pretty fun to hang out with too."

"Thanks. Oh well, he was really boring anyway. I'm going to tuck Rory in and then I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow, Luke."

"Bye, Lorelai. And just remember he's a loser. He doesn't deserve you anyway. Good night."

Authors Note 2: So, this went a little differently than I had expected. I tried to make it a little longer. I'll try to update soon. Please review!


	7. The Mashed Potatoes

Chapter 7- The Mashed Potatoes 

Disclaimer: Of course I own Gilmore Girls, I am also the Queen of Spain. Now if you'll excuse me the friendly men in the white jackets are here with my huggy suit to take me to the fun room with the cool padded walls again! Woohoo!

Authors Note: So, I wrote this chapter on Sunday and naturally, the freaking server had to be down, so the first chapter I've written in2 months couldn't be uploaded. I swear they were trying to spite me. I don't know exactly who"they" are, but they don't like me,because Ialso think they're responsible for cancelling Medical Investigation, Jack & Bobby,and Joan of Arcadia.

Authors Note 2: SORRY! SORRY! I know it's been forever, but the evilness called freshman year is finally over! I never have to go back to that old crappile again! And best of all, I can update again! Plus that, my inspiration decided to take a vacation without telling me. Stupid writers block! But I went to a Brad Paisley concert last night and he sang "He Didn't Have to Be," and my inspiration returned! It was all I could do to keep from writing the next chapter right there at the concert. So, I feel guilty cuz I don't think I've thanked the beautiful people who have taken time out of their day to review this story, and I need to thank them, because they're amazing and I love each and every one of them. So thank you to TAYLOR, Red-rumm, Born Blue, Manda, Sarah, Melanie, ProFfeSseR, hanselel, screaming truth, ripleyluvgg, mrschandlerbing, gilmoregirl1979, ripley, Inked Princess, weaslypotter, Sta, Natalia DeLuca, Maria G, Laine 7727, Elizabeth Teresa, TiCkLeDpInK22, Amy, Pink88, Chelsea, gilmorefan1200, bright-star-in-the-night, bklyangel, netherfield, GOThICsOCkMoNKeYs, padfoot1979, Eowyn19, Buffalo, Kendy, EmLocke, and RoryJess4evea. Thanks to all of you!

Authors Note 3: So, I'm pretty sure Rory was younger than 13 when she had chicken pox and only wanted mashed potatoes, but in this story, she's 13. Sorry for screwing up the timeline 

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said as she came in to the diner and collapsed at the counter, visibly exhausted. Luke knew that Rory had the chicken pox and was feeling horrible. "Can I have a huge vat of coffee, a bowl of mashed potatoes to go, and an anvil to drop on my head, please."

"Well, I can definitely do the coffee. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for the mashed potatoes, and I have never seen an anvil outside of Saturday morning cartoons." Luke said as he poured Lorelai her coffee. "How's Rory doing?"

"She's been sick for 3 days now and is about to itch herself to death. Whatever idiot came up with putting socks on your hands to keep from itching needs to spend time with a kid who can come up with any possible way to itch herself. Seriously, she was standing in her closet where she thought I wouldn't see her rubbing her back on the wall like a bear. I'm one step away from tying her down to the bed. She has no appetite, I finally told her she could eat anything she wanted as long as she ate. So, I'm thinking PopTarts, SlimJims, something I have in the house. But no, she wants homemade mashed potatoes. Gah! Hence the mashed potatoes." Lorelai said, while Luke was getting the mashed potatoes ready.

"Okay, I gave you enough mashed potatoes to feed 4 people, so it should do Rory good until tomorrow. If she still wants some then, give me a call and I'll bring some more over. And I put in 3 more cups of coffee for you. Hope she feels better soon."

"Omigod! You're a saint! Seriously, you are my freaking hero!" Lorelai said, as she left the diner.

The next day as Luke had thought would happen, Lorelai called and asked Luke to bring over some more mashed potatoes. "I've never seen her eat so much. I mean, I guess since she hadn't eaten in 3 days, she had to be hungry, but it's like she was a freaking vacuum cleaner," Lorelai said, in complete shock.

About twenty minutes after Lorelai called, Luke showed up with plenty of food to tide the girls over for a while. Tons of mashed potatoes for Rory, and burgers for Lorelai, even a salad on the off chance Lorelai might want to be healthy for a change. When Lorelai opened the door, Luke could tell she was dead on her feet tired and could really use a break.

"Hey, brought your food," Luke said.

"Thank you so much. Rory just woke up and she's starving. So, come on in."

"If you want, I can keep Rory company if you want to sleep or take a long bath or just relax. Ceasar's watching the diner and it's been pretty much dead anyway."

"Thanks. Do I really look that bad?"

"No," Luke said, completely unconvincingly. "You've had a sick kid to deal with for 4 days, anyone would be tired."

"I'm going to have to take you up on that offer. I need more than 20 minutes of sleep," Lorelai said, yawning.

"Okay. You go on upstairs and I've got everything under control."

"Um, if Rory starts itching again, there's some calamine lotion in the bathroom. That's been helping a little bit. If she's sweating a lot, then the thermometer is on her nightstand. If her temperature is over 102, come wake me up. It was 101.5 earlier. So hopefully it's going down. And I will see you in a couple of hours hopefully. And thanks again Luke, you're a lifesaver," Lorelai said, flashing Luke one of those smiles that made him feel weak in the knees.

Luke went into the kitchen to get the mashed potatoes into a bowl when he heard Rory calling for her mom.

"Hey Rory," Luke said, bringing in the mashed potatoes.

"Hey Luke, where's my mom? Are those mashed potatoes?" Rory asked.

"Of course they're mashed potatoes, that's all you wanted isn't it? And your mom is upstairs asleep. She's exhausted, so I thought I'd give her a break. Are you okay? Do you need any calamine or do I need to take your temperature? Anything you need. Your wish is my command."

"Thanks, but all I really want right now is the mashed potatoes. I'm so sick of that gross calamine feeling. It feels like I've got a whole other layer of skin. Did you ever have the chicken pox?"

"Of course. I think every kid does. I was in the first grade and it was right before the first grade musical. I didn't really want to be in the musical, but my teacher made me promise I'd do it. She was my favorite teacher, Mrs. Nelson, and I wasn't going to do anything to let her down. I was determined to be there for that musical."

"So, did you get better in time?"

"Just barely. It was two days before and my fever had finally broken and I had pretty much stopped itching, so my mom let me go back to school. I had never been happier to be in school."

"What musical was it?"

"It was something about all the countries of the world. It was one of those plays they just sort of made up to give the kids something to do at the end of the year."

"What were you in it?"

"I was a Chinese kid, believe it or not. I had one line about all the stuff the Chinese had made. I spent 4 days memorizing that line. I wasn't going to forget a single word."

"You were a Chinese kid? That's hilarious," Rory said. She always loved getting to spend time with Luke and she loved it even more when he told her stories about when he was a kid.

"The even funnier thing is for my costume, I had to wear a kimono. But the only kimono I could find was a Japanese kimono. The girl that was talking about Japan had brought a Chinese kimono from home, but she wouldn't let me trade with her. So, you had me standing there talking about the Chinese in a Japanese outfit. And then you had this girl, Jessica, who wasn't the least bit Japanese talking about the Japanese in a Chinese outfit. That had to be one of the funniest plays ever for the parents."

By this point, Rory was cracking up. She could completely picture Luke as a little kid standing up there in his kimono, and it was a really funny picture. "Omigosh! Why don't they do that play anymore? I so want to see that," Rory said in tears from laughing so hard.

"I don't know. As much as I hated being in front of people, those plays in elementary school were so much fun. I don't think we ever did a normal play."

"What other plays did you do?"

"Well, there was the kindergarten musical, where we just sang a whole bunch of completely unrelated songs. I was a ribbon dancer in that one. My whole class was. I was so mad, because I wanted the blue ribbon, but I got stuck with the green ribbon. That was a completely humiliating experience. Then in second grade, I had to be the Big Bad Wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, and everybody in the play forgot their lines, except the narrator, because she got to have a script, because she was the teacher's pet and had too many lines to remember. Man, that girl was annoying."

"I'm still laughing about you as a ribbon dancer."

"It's not like it was a big, huge ribbon. Really it was just a strip of paper we waved around to show we knew our colors."

"You have to keep going. These stories are just getting better."

"Okay, I was the Thanksgiving turkey in third grade. They actually swung me from the ceiling and shot me. That was a slightly disturbing play. In fourth grade, I was Noah Webster in a play about famous people from Connecticut. My entire part consisted of me making up words and then writing them down in 'The Big Book of Words.' I doubt any of that was historically accurate, but I didn't care."

"You were shot down from the ceiling."

"I know, that'll scar a kid for life. But the best was in fifth grade, they still do a completely random Christmas play right?"

"Yeah, except it's a winter holiday play with a jolly old man who brings gifts and menorahs now. Christmas just isn't the same anymore."

"Well, I was one of the Santas in the play."

"One of the Santas?"

"Yeah, I played an imposter Santa, I had do somersaults across the stage, and then this really annoying kid named Dane grabbed me and the two other Santas and his partner, Donner, arrested us. I'm not even kidding. He actually said, "Book 'em Donner." That whole play was crazy. We had crazy hick relatives riding in on their tractor and climbing in through the window. We were singing about getting slippers and sleeping on the floor. The mom was obsessed with football and threw the turkey around the kitchen. It was insane."

"They arrested Santa? That's horrible."

"Well, at the end the real Santa showed up and it was all good. I don't know where they come up this stuff."

"Our winter holiday play when I was in fifth grade, was called Surfin' Santa. It was set in Hawaii. Santa wore a bright blue flowered shirt. Is Stars Hollow capable of doing a normal play?" Rory said, while starting to itch again.

"Stars Hollow isn't capable of doing anything normal. They're all insane."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Where else on Earth is there a festival every other week?"

"Nowhere. We're truly unique, and to be honest, I can't imagine living anywhere else either. There are too many memories here. Hey, do you need some more calamine? You're starting to itch again."

"Yeah, I'm getting tired again too. I'm gonna go back to sleep. Thanks for keeping me company. I love hearing your stories about when you were younger. They're so funny."

"Anytime, kid. Let me get you some calamine and then I'm just gonna hang out until your mom wakes up."

When Luke returned with the calamine, Rory was sound asleep. Luke went into the kitchen and started to unpack all the mashed potatoes and burgers to put in the refrigerator, when he noticed that the back door lock was broken. He remembered that he'd left a couple tools there last time he'd been fixing things, so he found them and started to fix that. As soon as he was done with that, he went into the living room and started cleaning that. He couldn't just sit there and he figured it would be a nice surprise for Lorelai when she woke up. He was halfway through dusting the entertainment center when Lorelai came downstairs.

"Luke, what are you doing?" Lorelai asked. She was very confused as to why Luke was all of a sudden cleaning her house.

"Oh, when Rory fell asleep, I noticed the back door lock was broken, and once I fixed that and cleaned the kitchen, I moved on to the living room," Luke said, guiltily. He wasn't sure from the look on Lorelai's face if this was a good thing or not.

"But why are you cleaning my house?"

"I figured with Rory being sick, you haven't had much time to clean, and I was bored, so I was just trying to help."

"It's not a problem. Thank you. You've already done so much for us, this is amazing," Lorelai said, going over to Luke and giving him a big hug.

"No problem. Anything for you guys," Luke said, returning the hug. "Well, I better get back over to the diner. Ceasar's in need of a break. Tell Rory to get better soon."

"I will. Thank you so much Luke. I don't know how we can repay you. You've done so much for us."

"Don't worry about it. You girls are my best friends, you know that, right?"

"Yeah. I know, and you're my best friend too."

"Then that's all I need. I'll see you later, Lorelai," Luke said, as he left the house.

A little while later, when Rory woke up, Lorelai went in to check on her.

"Hey kid. Did Luke take care of you?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. He told me so much about when he was a kid. Stars Hollow does the weirdest plays."

"That they do. I'm sure there's a connection there, I'm just not sure what. And I'm sure you'll tell me later, won't you?"

"I don't think Luke would like that. That's between him and me."

"Fine, I'll get it out of you later."

"Never."

Authors Note 4: Okay, so that felt really long to me. I sort of have mixed feelings about this chapter. So, I don't own PopTarts, SlimJims, or Stepmom. I borrowed the turkey scene from them. My school's Thanksgiving play was pretty boring. But the other plays were from my elementary school, with the exception of the one about famous people from Connecticut, it was famous people from Missouri. The kindergarten play was true. The second grade one was true, I was the narrator in that play. The Christmas play was true, my friend, Ethan, was one of the Santas that got arrested. And Luke's chicken pox story is my chicken pox story, except I wanted to do the play and Luke didn't. I seriously was a Chinese girl in that play, and I have red hair, blue eyes, and am the whitest person on the face of the planet. And the story about the kimonos is true. Surfin' Santa is another Christmas play my school did when I was in second grade. My friend Ethan's brother was Santa in that play. So, here's the latest update. I don't know when the next one is coming, cuz I don't know what I'm doing for it. The second chapter of The Cure For The Common Man will be up sometime this week, and I'm going to post the first chapter of another story I've been thinking of for a while soon. So, please review!


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